At first, Allison Burnett’s Undiscovered Gyrl appears to be the tale of a seemingly wild, superficial teenage girl, preoccupied with sex, alcohol and her own beauty. Written in blog-form by Burnett’s protagonist (who uses the pen name Katie), Undiscovered Gyrl draws the reader into Katie’s chaotic life, which includes her abusive boyfriend, Rory; Dan, the 32-year-old professor with whom she’s in love and having an affair; her alcoholic, cirrhotic father; a registered sex offender named Glen; her drug-addicted best friend Jade; a troubled ex-classmate named Joel; and a family called the Spooners, for whom she begins working as a nanny.
What Undiscovered Gyrl is actually about, however, is the loneliness of youth, the childhood traumas that shape our adult lives, and the often all-consuming need to be loved. Katie, beneath the reckless behavior and shallow attitude that she originally displays, wants desperately to find something to live for — she just happens to be looking in all the wrong places.
I read Undiscovered Gyrl in one sitting, and found myself shaken to my very core upon turning the last page. It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, this novel, because it’s so much deeper (and darker) than it first appears. An excellent, thought-provoking book that will remain with you long after Katie’s story ends…
By Gina Felix on 7/23/09
I can not wait to get this book I’m dieing to read. Seems very interesting.
At first, Allison Burnett’s Undiscovered Gyrl appears to be the tale of a seemingly wild, superficial teenage girl, preoccupied with sex, alcohol and her own beauty. Written in blog-form by Burnett’s protagonist (who uses the pen name Katie), Undiscovered Gyrl draws the reader into Katie’s chaotic life, which includes her abusive boyfriend, Rory; Dan, the 32-year-old professor with whom she’s in love and having an affair; her alcoholic, cirrhotic father; a registered sex offender named Glen; her drug-addicted best friend Jade; a troubled ex-classmate named Joel; and a family called the Spooners, for whom she begins working as a nanny.
What Undiscovered Gyrl is actually about, however, is the loneliness of youth, the childhood traumas that shape our adult lives, and the often all-consuming need to be loved. Katie, beneath the reckless behavior and shallow attitude that she originally displays, wants desperately to find something to live for — she just happens to be looking in all the wrong places.
I read Undiscovered Gyrl in one sitting, and found myself shaken to my very core upon turning the last page. It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, this novel, because it’s so much deeper (and darker) than it first appears. An excellent, thought-provoking book that will remain with you long after Katie’s story ends…
I can not wait to get this book I’m dieing to read. Seems very interesting.
I can not wait to get the book seems amazing